Blue Demons hold on against Lady Cougars

Junior varsity hits 19-0, set up huge season ending run

By DAVID GRAVELY, sports@southwesttimes.com

CHRISTIANSBURG – With just over a minute remaining in the contest, sophomore standout Maddie Ratcliff was called for her fifth and final foul of the night. Senior Tyanna Haynes also finished the game on the bench with five fouls as the Lady Cougars lost in a 73-63 struggle against height.

The Blue Demons came out hot, taking a six-point lead early in the first. The Lady Cougars fought back to tie the game at 10-10 midway through that opening period, but a run of good shots and three-pointers left Pulaski County trailing 20-10 heading into the second.

The Cougars were outscored again in the second period, this time 23-16, to leave them trailing 43-26 at the halftime break.

Good three-point shooting and patience by the Lady Cougars gave them a chance in the second half. Pulaski County outscored the Blue Demons 37-30 in the final two quarters, but wasn’t enough to overcome the Christiansburg first half effort.

“I thought we did some good things tonight, but we missed a few opportunities too,” Lady Cougar Head Coach Bradley Sutphin said. “We got behind in the first half, but our girls kept working. I can’t complain about our effort at all. Christiansburg has a solid program right now; you’ve got to give them credit. I’m still proud of the way our girls battled back. They never gave in.”

Ratcliff left the game with a team-high 24 points that included four three-pointers. Senior Amiah Stables backed her up with 22 points, including two more three-pointers. Sophomore Alaina Akers hit two threes for six points. Senior Taylor Duncan hit another three to finish the game with four points. Sophomore Kassidy Secrist hit another three-pointer, senior Tyanna Haynes and junior Alicia Noble added two points each.

The Blue Demons were led by Gracie Hutson with 25 points that included four three-pointers and a seven-of-seven free throw performance. Kendall Lewis came off the bench to immediately hit two big three-pointers in the first period, then added two more in the second to score 14 total points.

For Pulaski County fans who’ve been keeping up with it, the JV Lady Cougars continued their winning streak with a crushing 49-6 win over Christiansburg that could have been far worse.

The win moves the younger Lady Cougars to 19-0 on the season. They have three games remaining, and all three should be challenging. They’ll start those three games tonight when they host Blacksburg. Cave Spring will visit the Cougar Den for the final home game and senior night for the Lady Cougars Monday, Feb. 5. Their final game of the regular season will be a road trip to Salem.

Top scoring honors for the JV squad went to Aubrey O’Dell and Alley Fleenor with 14 points each. Erin Russell added nine, Taryn Blankenship scored six and Sydney Smith and Hanna Walson scored three points each.

“I love the way these girls play together,” JV Head Coach Nancy Quesenberry said. “We’ve lost players to injuries and a few to the varsity team, who has had injuries of their own. Through it all, our girls have continued to battle and work hard. I’m really proud of them.”

JV action begins Friday at 5:30 p.m. with the varsity contest following at 7 p.m.